Playing for Keeps
by Crayon of a mad girl
Summary: Arisu Sakuraba has to play the Reapers Game again and this time she needs to win unlike last time. Having to choose between a good friend of hers and her boyfriend from when she was 'alive'. Being an Angel now is tougher on her than ever. TWEWY fanfic.
1. Day 0

Playing for Keeps

**Day 0- This time is for keeps**

The Reapers' Game: Just one-way to judge mankind and another place of work. People think the UG doesn't exist but they're far from being right. One Game to decide one person's fate, to decide if they have what it takes to have the right to live. Simple as that but the entry fee is not to be taken lightly.

Meet Alice, just another girl lost in the game, a blue-eyed 16-year-old girl with ginger hair and an average dress sense of skinny jeans and a Def Märch band tee. She goes to Ramen Don over at Dogenzaka to meet a friend of hers; Charlie, a brown eyed boy of 16 and tidy mid length light brown hair, brown Mus Rattus Chinos, Mus Rattus mint polo shirt, red Hip Snake high-tops and a love for ramen.

"Charlie… I've gotta go to work next week," Alice starts to dig in to some Shio ramen as she sits on a stool at the counter

"You never did tell me where you work. So _where_ do you work?" Charlie asks with a smile while he plays with his ramen, sitting next to her at the counter

"I can't really say, but I'll be away for a while. Starting next week I'll be working... a week," She just eyes her ramen and plays with her food, thinking of only one thing

"What about the week after?" Charlie looks at Alice and ignores his food

"I don't know… it depends... I don't know what's going to happen…" Her hand tenses up into a fist causing her chopsticks to snap

"Alice… are you ok?" Charlie sounds a little more than worried

"Ryuu…" She punches the counter.

_-Playing for Keeps-_

**_A year ago_**

"Now, Arisu-chan. Either you face erasure, or we play one last game then you're off the hook… You will be the next Composer, if you win," The composer sat on his throne twiddling his silver blonde hair round his finger, wearing a loose blouse, white trainers and flared jeans

"Josh… I've been an and Officer for a year and you expect to just 'ask' me to play a game?" She looks to the floor with her hands behind her back with respect

"I just want to see how you would fair without Ryuu… or better yet, have Ryuu as your opponent," He evilly smiled

"Josh, you know Ryuu is unstable and that's why I keep him under wraps. His Noise could wipe out all of Shibuya…" she frowned, trying not to lash out

"But that's half the fun!" Joshua cheered

"A few months ago you nearly destroyed Shibuya! At what cost, Josh? At what cost?" She bellowed

"To see if my proxy had what it takes to prove to me that Shibuya is worth fighting for," He just smiled as he sat up on his throne

"Neku Sakuraba. The proxy. You killed him out of love for Shibuya? I've seen him, Josh. I've seen him near Hachiko waiting for you. He misses his family and he misses you," She avoided eye contact with him

"Well, Arisu-chan, your family is important to you isn't it? Don't you miss Ryuu?" He lounges back in his throne and waves his hand away from his hair

Clenching her fist but she continued to look to the floor, "You know I miss him. A year I've kept him in control. A year I've never shown my Noise and you think I don't miss him?!" She points to herself then lets her hand fall to her side, "Josh, just tell me what you want and I'll do it. I'm already dead so it doesn't matter. My brother still remembers me... the person I was. I'd like to keep it that way," She sighed while she still clenched her fist and looked up to Joshua, "What do you want me to do?"

"Play the Game…" Joshua stood and smiled

_-Playing for Keeps-_

"Alice? Are you ok?" Charlie waves his hand in front of her face

She snaps back into reality, "Huh? Oh… I just…"

"Is there something bothering you?" He asks her but she sits there, knowing in her heart she can't let Ryuu show his Noise. If she did, it would cause so much havoc.

'_I wonder what my entry fee will be…'_ she thinks to herself.

Ken hands Alice another pair of chopsticks and leaves her be. Seeing her everyday at his shop, he knows how she acts and exactly what she orders. _'I can see his point now. Is Shibuya worth saving? Last year he was alive… now the new composer has some new rules… I just hope I'm making the right choice. But what if I'm not?!' _She keeps thinking over and over until she hits the counter with her left hand, "Arrgh!" She shouts. Ken doesn't flinch and carries on with his work.

Charlie nearly falls back in his stool, "Alice! What's wrong with you?!"

"I won't let my brother get involved again!" She stands from her stool

"You have a brother?" He is slightly taken aback

"No one you have to worry about. I have to go and get ready for work…" _'Shibuya is changing… I'm changing…If this game is the last game I play…I just hope my brother leads a happy life…'_ Alice storms out of the ramen shop, Charlie reaches his arm out and tries to shout but the words just wouldn't come out.

Charlie turns back to his ramen, "She never told me she had a brother…" he doesn't even touch his food

"She doesn't tell anyone most things. Last year her brother started coming in and I definitely knew they were related. The weird thing was, I said 'You look just like your sister' and he said something like 'My sister's dead'. I was really confused because she'd only just left the shop 5 minutes before he walked in. Really, really confusing…" Ken rambles on then notices another ginger walk into his shop, and without realising he says, "Calmed down Alice?"

"I'm not Alice. Plus, she died 2 years ago. I keep telling you that," The ginger boy, wearing white shorts and a purple shirt, sits where Alice was sat before she stormed out

"Neku? Oh, I'm sorry. Alice just stormed out and I thought she'd calmed down and wanted to finish her ramen," Ken smiles

"Alice was here?" Neku looks at the ramen in front of him, "Shio ramen? That's her favourite… no… that's not it," Neku shakes his head _'She can't be involved with the Game, right?'_

"Hey, I'm Charlie. Alice's friend," Charlie holds out his hand for a handshake

"I'm sorry to say this but Alice is dead," Neku sighs, without looking at Charlie, as he looks at a torn piece of paper, as though torn from a book or diary, tucked under the dish of ramen, "This is her hand writing…" he starts to read it in his head '_To think I actually thought you cared for Shibuya. Yet you asked me to bring Ryuu into the equation? I just don't get it. You had your proof to spare Shibuya, and now you want to destroy it again? Sometimes I don't understand you, Joshua. I actually believed that you loved him, chose him to save Shibuya because deep down you loved him. I didn't trust you when I saw you kill my own flesh and blood, but after you brought him back to life, I realised you had changed. For this year that I've known you, there was always a sparkle in your eye when you said my brother's name. Josh, I… was he just another toy to you? Humans have feelings to and I don't care if I'm far from being human anymore but at least I care for my brothers well being… You have to understand that I won't let you hurt my brother anymore than you already have and Shibuya is not your playground. If I could, I would erase you but that would hurt my brother and being an Officer I'm unable to do such a thing. I don't want you to hurt him… He loves you Josh and you know it. Why? Why do you think of him as a toy? That's all I want to know…_' the rest is torn off, "This is from a diary…"

Alice walks in but quickly transfers to the UG frequency so Neku doesn't see her. The decal only works during a game, "He's seen my diary entry… He knows…" She looks to the floor

Mr Hanekoma steps into the ramen shop. A middle aged handsome man, dark short hair, stubble, glasses, white shirt, grey striped waist coat with matching trousers and flip-flops to go with it, "Your brother's found out I guess?"

"I stormed out without thinking. I left a torn piece of my diary entry from last year under my dish… The first entry I did in a long time and I was angry at all the memories in my diary, so I ripped it out. Sometimes I never understood him…" she sighs

"Josh? I didn't either but we just have to get on with it. Phones' seems a little bit down about that diary entry of yours," Mr Hanekoma points to Neku

"You're right, Sanae… I used to tell him _everything_, show him my diary all the time so it's only natural to see a new entry and be shocked… but I can't be there for him anymore. When I died… he grew to be a better person, I think. I don't want him to cling back onto me again. Depending on me for everything. He's become a totally different person…" Being cut off by a distressed boy turning

"Alice?!" Neku frantically turns around and shouts through the shop

"I've been there for him this past year, in my current post… but I'm not coming to the RG. It'll be too risky…" She walks over to her brother and pats his shoulder and whispers in his ear, "Neku… I'm still here but I want you to forget about me… You're a better person without me… I'm sorry about Josh and I hated him when he shot you…" as she said that Neku starts to remember it all again and Alice does as well.

_-Playing for Keeps-_

"Damn it! I missed!" Sho held onto his shoulder

Joshua smiled as he saw Sho retreat back to the UG and points his gun to the defenceless ginger haired boy sitting bewildered on the floor

"What are you doing?!" Neku yelled

Joshua pulled the trigger, as his gun was pointed at Neku's head, and smiled

"Alice help me!" was the last thing he said before his head hit the pavement. Cold and lifeless his body lay there. Next to the CAT mural his sister and him used to look at, was the place he died.

"You know Arisu-chan? Hmm, this is interesting," Josh threw a player pin onto Neku's still body.

Alice ran in and held her brothers body, "Josh! I only became an Officer so he wouldn't know about the Game!"

"He's important to my plans. I don't need you for this game, Arisu-chan," Josh tossed her statement aside

"Joshua!" she let go of Neku and stood tall in front of Josh, "What are you planning?"

"Shibuya is in ruins. I want someone to prove to me it's worth fighting for," He smiled, turned and waved to Alice, "Arisu _Sakuraba_. No wonder you look alike," he disappeared back into the UG

"Don't call me Arisu-chan… _He_ used to call me that all the time…" She mumbled as she clenched her fists trying to hold back the tears of her 'dead' brother and memories or being called 'Arisu-chan'.

_-Playing for Keeps-_

"Alice?" Tears start to well up in her little brothers eyes

"Neku… I'll be fine. I have been for the past two years. Just never forget, the world ends with you…" She whispers to him, he holds the paper out and she takes it while it looks like a floating piece of paper in the RG

"What's going on?!" Charlie yells but Ken doesn't notice

Alice walks back over to Mr Hanekoma, "Sanae, lets go. We've got a game to prepare for…" Her voice seems dark.

**A/N:** Sorry that I've not been active recently but I've had a lot on my plate. Re-written and its finished. Let me know what you think and I'll upload the rest. Thanks!


	2. Day 1

**A/N:** Another chapter. So here's Day 1. Let me know what you think :)

Playing for Keeps

**Day 1- It ain't over till it's over**

'_Was it all a lie? When you said you loved me?'_

Looking at her left hand, Alice continues to look at her timer, "I have a week… but why have _I_ got a timer? He doesn't think he can take an entry fee from me, does he?" she smiles slightly and shakes her head, "I don't value my life, so why would my life be _my_ entry fee? Unless it's someone else's entry fee, but who would have me as their most precious thing… besides… what is_ my_ entry fee?" She asks herself as she looks around. She notices Charlie's little brother Sam, about 6 years old, crying by the statue of Hachiko with a broken leg, holding his Mus Rattus Mowzy teddy bear and holding onto his other hand was his auntie as she kept trying to calm him down, 'It's ok Sam. It's not your fault the car crashed…'

"People in the RG have always annoyed me… but when someone loses their life for the game, that's what annoys me even more," she clenches the fist with the timer

Noise start to erase Players, their time was up.

"Alice! Those people, these things took them! What's going on?!" Charlie runs up to her ignoring his relatives, not trying to contact them or wanting to look at them, as if they're complete strangers

She finally notices her surroundings, "Hachiko?" Then she turns to the boy who's holding onto her arm, "Charlie?!" she pulls away in shock and holds and shakes her head, "No! Why are you here?! It's too dangerous!" she yells

"Alice… I'm scared… what's going to happen…" She looks at the genuine scaredy cat in front of her, with tears in his eyes, "All I remember is looking for you. Your brother went outside then he said something like 'She's in the UG' and I didn't understand him… I went to look for you Alice but I couldn't find you… Then this blonde haired kid stood outside Shadow Ramen and smirked! Then I had to leave and I got into my aunties car and… we crashed… then I remember waking up in the scramble… I… I…" he falls to the ground in tears

Checking her watch on her right hand, "Have you made a pact yet?" ignoring the sobbing state of the Player in front of her

"Pact?"

"You have 5 minutes to find another Player…" Remembering when she played the game, the horrors she had encountered, the people she'd met and her partner most of all, _'We were both partnered up… I was scared but you helped me though it, Ryuu. I can't forgive you but I trust you. Trust your partner…but… What happened to us Ryuu?'_

"Alice? I don't understand! What happened to those people?!" he yells in her face

She goes right into his face, he retreats slightly but she stays where she is, "You wanted to know where I work. I work here…" she sways her arm slightly to show the sights

"Shibukyu Station side?" he asks dumbly

"No!" she points at his chest pushing him back slightly, "Those people you saw being 'taken away' were erased by Noise. Their 7 minutes were up because they didn't make a pact," She stand back slightly and crosses her arms, "Erasure is imminent to those who don't make a pact, or if your partner dies, you have 7 minutes before you follow suit," She turns away from him, "You have 3 minutes," She turns her head to face him slightly to look out of the corner of her eyes, "Find a player to make a pact with…" She taps her foot.

He pulls on her arm, "You seem to know a lot. Can I make a pact with you?"

Eying the little 'child' up and down she pulled off him, "Players can not make a pact with an Ang…" Her eyes widen as a pact was being made, "… el," She turns to Charlie angrily, "What have you done?! You're gunna lose this freaking game!"

"What do you mean 'lose this game'?" He looks at her confused. So she decided to explain to him that making a pact with any Reaper, or an Angel for that matter can affect the game. In mid explanation she got a phone call, "Dead girl speaking,"

"_Arisu-chan. Long time no speak,_" A recognisable voice speaks, husky and calm

"Ryuu?!" she shouts in shock _'No wonder I felt his pressence… Where is he?'_

"_Got it in one, honey._ _So the big C said we're playing the game again. This time I'll make it that little bit more fun,_" He chuckles a bit

"Yeah the Composer said that... I think but I can't remember. Ryuu, no. I'm not going to let you hurt Charlie!" she yells

"_Arisu- chan, since the start of the game you've forgottern a lot of things... I wonder why that is..." _He chuckles, "_Charlie? Oh, do you know what his entry fee was yet? I thought you would know since, y'know, it's what he **treasures** most... oh a__nd have you found out what __**your**__ fee is?_" his chuckles gets deeper

Her eyes widen, ignoring the last bit he said, "I can't be his most precious thing… can I?" she turns to Charlie

Charlie turns sheepish, "Well… erm… you are… I guess..."

She smacks her hand into her face then puts the phone to her ear, "Wait, am I classed as a Player or a Reaper if he's made a pact with me?" she asks

"_You're still **you **I guess but_ _for all intents and purposes, you're an Officer since you're not your old self. Have fun leopard,_" he does a small husky chuckle and hangs up

"God, that guy is going to be the erasure of me one day," she smiles hugging her phone

"Don't you mean 'death'?" Charlie looks at Alice

"I'm already dead…" She sighs rolling her eyes and walks to the scramble. Charlie follows her trying to ask what's going on.

_-Playing for Keeps-_

Meanwhile at the Room of reckoning; gloomy as ever but Josh continued to ponder, "Ryuu… I was quite surprised you brought me back. When you told me the composer was away I didn't believe you…" Josh relaxes in his old throne, "…but it seems they're not here. Where could they possibly be? Ryuu, you don't think they lost their memories, do you?" He moves his hair behind his ear

A skinny teenager stands wearing D+B black skinny jeans, purple Tigre Punks sneakers, a red Tigre Punks' biker vest. He has mid length messy silver hair and deep green eyes, maybe Alice's definition of 'Tall, dark and handsome'. The teen, that seems to be Ryuu, bows, "I believe so. The composer has lost their memory and they do not remember who either the composer or the conductor are anymore… They still believe that you and Megumi are alive..." He sighs, "They have a way of retrieving such a loss but they cannot retrieve it so easily either…" Ryuu frowns

"Perhaps they need to be reminded, Ryuu. Try and help them, I'm sure you could do a simple task as such as that," Josh smiles

"Yes… but what if matters come to the worst?" Ryuu asks worriedly

"It will have to be decision time…" Josh seems worried also, "But there is always plan A first… let's try that," Josh perks up a little

"I will be able to do that, sir," Ryuu bows

"Ryuu, you've experienced love, right?" Josh lounges around in his throne changing the subject

Ryuu bows, "Yes, yes I have Composer. But why do you ask?"

Josh starts to play with his hair, like he usually does when he thinks of _him_, "I just…"

"Is there someone that the Composer has his eye on?" Ryuu politely asks

"Sort of but I just don't know how to show it to him…"

"Him? Sir," Ryuu asks confused

"Your girlfriends brother…" Josh sighs

"Neku Sakuraba? While I was with Arisu-chan laat year as an Officer, I've noticed he feels the same way you do, sir. While I was working with Arisu-chan, we were both on the same wavelength. I could see that Neku does feel the same, sir," Ryuu bows

Josh stands informally and cheers, "REALLY?!" He shouts just like an eager little girl

"I can see that you are happy sir. Composer, I believe you are forgetting something. The game has started and Arisu-chan has made a pact with a player, by the name of 'Charlie'. What shall I tell the Game Master?" Ryuu politely asks

"No need. He'll find out but he'll try and weed his way to get Arisu-chan round his little finger to try and get to me, no doubt, since he still thinks I'm the Composer. He's always after power. It's in the _lions_ nature. Just go and sort out the Composers memories," Josh dismisses Ryuu

"As you wish, sir," He bows and leaves the composers throne room.

_-Playing for Keeps-_

Looking around the Scramble, Alice takes in the atmosphere as she stands in the middle of the road where people are crossing, "When a game starts I'm usually the one taking out the players… but this week, I ain't gunna lose… not like last time," Her fist clenches, "All I remember…" she lowers her head

"Alice!" Charlie catches up, "Tell me what's going on!"

She looks down on him slowly, "Check your phone…" she shakes her head and blinks

He checks his phone, "Nothing… Should there be?"

She sighs and turns away, "Check again…"

His phone vibrates and catches him off guard, "Wha?! I didn't think we could get texts? I tried ringing friends and I tried to ring you but it wouldn't go though or anything!" He reads the text out, "_Game I. __X = 30 + 74__. T= 60 min. Incompletes will be destroyed._ What's that mean?" His hand is imprinted with a timer, "Ow!"

Alice bursts out into hysterical laughter, "Oh, you're being serious right?" she pauses for a moment for him to answer as she wipes a tear of laughter away

"What's so funny? That hurt!" He yells

"I mean the mission. The timer's meant to be there. You don't wanna know what happens at zero," She rolls her eyes _'I can see where Konishi comes from. Chimps __**ARE**__ stupid!'_

"Look for yourself," He shows her his phone with the mission mail

She reads it carefully, "Well, this cat is gunna have some fun this week," She bursts into hysterics again. She doesn't like erasing players, but to survive she must, on the other hand she loves to pick fights with 'annoying' Reapers. She finds it 'fun' in a way.

"Cat?"

Ignoring yet another of his _seemingly dumb_ questions, "Right, I remember you said you hated maths but I can't help you all the time, it'll be cheating. You have to put 200% effort in this week to show you're worth reincarnation," '_Not that you'll win anyway, since you're partnered up with moi_' Alice starts to walk in the direction of 104

"Where're you going?!" Charlie puts his phone in his back pocket

"I'm doing the mission. Read it and you'll get it," She rolls her eyes again

"X= 30+74. What does it mean?" he pulls on her arm

She heaves him off of her arm, "Do the math! 30 add 74!" she yells and holds her head in her hands annoyed with her partner

"Hundred and 4… wait Ten-four!" He triumphantly cheers to himself then he notices Alice on her knees with her head in her hands. He's never seen this side of Alice before. Back in the RG he'd only ever seen a 'nice, calm and doesn't like to fight' Alice… Not an 'annoyed, mood changing and loves to fight' Alice.

'_I can't do it! Ryuu is too strong…He said he wanted to be a Reaper, so he did. His Noise was too powerful, so I had to step in and basically help him. 2 years is too long no matter how you look at it. I'm an 18 year old inside a 16 year olds body. Being immortal isn't a gift… so I thought…'_ Alice holds her head in her hands, shaking forward and backward. Flinging her body back, still kneeling on the tarmac, arms wide and she screams, "I won't hurt you!" She yells, hoping _he_ will hear her

Shaking her shoulder slightly, Charlie seems a little worried for the change in her mood, "Alice?"

Shooting up, she brushed herself down, "I'm fine. This week is just going to drag, that's all…" She turns away from Charlie again and heads for 104. Charlie follows her.

Heading out of the 104 building, Neku walks out with Shiki, a girl with short brown hair, round glasses, a green shirt and a white skirt, as they both carry a ton of shopping bags, "So, I heard there was a car crash last week over at the Underpass?" Shiki asks Neku

Neku ignores her

"Hey, what's wrong?" She turns back to him

"It was my sisters friend, Charlie," He raises his head to show the world where he is, as he looks around

"What are you looking for?"

"I know I never told you about my sister… but she died two years ago…" he frowns

"Oh… I'm sorry about that… WAIT!" She suddenly realises, "The Game!"

"She's in the UG at the moment…" he looks back to the floor

"In the UG for 2 years?" Shiki looks confused.

Alice and Charlie run into 104. His timer was gone and he tried to ask Alice if hers was gone but she simply nodded and walked away from him slowly only to see her brother walk out of 104.

"… She thinks I became a better person after she died… but it was only because she died I started putting these walls up. I didn't talk to anyone and I hated people. She was run over by a car…" He shuts his eyes and clenches his fist trying not to cry, remembering her funeral

"What was her name?" Shiki asks

"Alice. Arisu Sakuraba," Neku takes a deep breath, "I can sense she's here. That's probably the 1st mission of the week," He suddenly feels a pat on his back and looks around

"Ha! I guess she is here!" Shiki starts laughing but stops laughing when she feels a pat on her back

"It's not funny Alice!" Neku cheers

"Oh, I find it hilarious," Alice chuckles to herself, even though she knows they can't hear her. If she wasn't partnered up with Charlie, she could easily pass through to the RG, but the thing that troubled her most was the reason he'd put the walls up. _'I thought he'd become a better person… but he'd just put more walls up. I was trying to help him break down those walls and I guess after I died he had no reason to break down the walls… just another reason to build them higher…' _She frowns as she waits for the week to fly by, but she knows, from past games, it'll be more difficult with each passing day.


End file.
